PGA Tour rookie Jake Knapp is now a PGA Tour winner, taking house the Mexico Open on Sunday after capturing 19-under for the week, beating fellow rookie Sami Valimaki via two strokes.
Knapp began the around with a commanding four-shot lead, however let it slip away as his motive force — the basis of his first 3 rounds — betrayed him. Knapp hit two fairways in 18 holes on Sunday, and is the primary PGA Tour participant since 1983 to hit two or fewer fairways in his ultimate around and win. Knapp hit 33 of 39 fairways Thursday-Saturday.
Still, he secured the win after striking his force on 18 right into a left fairway bunker. Valimaki, desiring eagle to drive the playoff, went for broke and ignored — his monster force hit the cart trail proper and settled beneath a fence. Valimaki right away started asking how a lot of a cushion he had over the trio in 3rd position. A couple of moments later Knapp had a tap-in par and lifted his palms in triumph.
“Just grinding it out,” Knapp instructed NBC of his ultimate around.
Knapp, 29, is solely that — a certified golfing grinder. The ability used to be at all times there — all the way through highschool, he shot a 58 on his house direction after which a 61 all the way through U.S. Open qualifying, and sooner or later matriculated to UCLA — however he struggled to realize traction upon turning professional in 2016.
Three years in the past he didn’t have standing on any excursion and used to be running as a safety guard at a nightclub. But he used conditional standing at the Korn Ferry Tour to complete thirteenth within the season-long standings in 2023, and declare his PGA Tour card for this season.
He tied for 3rd on the Farmers Insurance Open closing month, and used to be T28 on the WM Phoenix Open. Then he adopted up his opening-round 67 at Vidanta with a 64 on Friday and a 63 on Saturday, taking a four-shot lead over Valimaki into the general around. Only 3 gamers had been inside of seven photographs of the lead.
Knapp, No. 125 on the planet in line with DataGolf.com, stumbled out of the gate with bogeys on Nos. 1 and three, even though, and temporarily discovered himself in a tie with Valimaki, who had a birdie and eagle at the entrance 9.
Knapp sooner or later steadied himself, gaining a stroke on his enjoying spouse when he parred No. 13 and Valimaki bogeyed, after which giving himself any other when he birdied at the Par-5 14th and Valimaki settled for par.
Knapp takes house $1.458 million for the win. He’ll be within the Masters and PGA Championship, in addition to The Players Championship subsequent month. He’s additionally now totally exempt in the course of the 2026 PGA Tour season and might be in all signature occasions for the remainder of this yr.
(Photo of Jake Knapp: Hector Vivas / Getty Images)
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